Stop Rats From Burning Down Your Home!
Rodent infestations cause over a billion dollars worth of damage to homes every year. It does not matter if the home is old or new. It does not matter if the home has impeccable housekeeping or if it is a home that makes one think of an old college frat house. All human homes have what rodents are after. Rodents desire a safe shelter that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter, just as people do. Rodents also like to have food close by to eat at their leisure just like people do. The rodent species that enter homes are referred to as “commensal rodents.” The true definition of the term is one species living with another where one species benefits while not causing the other harm.
The Dangers of Home Rodent Infestations
Though “commensal rodents” is a much-used term, it is simply not true. Fleas on rodents brought plague that wiped out a large segment of the human population in the fourteenth century. Today, they can infect humans with anything from Hantavirus to the Lymphocytic Choriomeningitis virus (LCMV). It is not even necessary to touch a rodent infected with LCMV to catch the disease. It is transmitted through droppings, urine and saliva that gets onto everything from eating utensils to food they touch.
The Norway rat is the largest of the commensal rodents and can do a significant amount of damage to a home including causing fires. It is suspected that a large percentage of house fires that cannot be fully explained are the result of rats or mice chewing on electrical wires, causing a short circuit. Since rodents can squeeze through the tiniest of openings, they have free access to roam inside walls, floors and ceilings where all the wiring of the home is hidden.
Modern Rodent Control Measures
If there is any sign throughout the home that rats or mice are present, it is crucial to do something about it immediately. Consulting a rodent control expert such as the ones at Green Pest Solutions can literally save lives. A single rat in a home is capable of causing much more damage than a mouse simply due to their larger size and appetite. Rodent diseases aside, the fact that one rat or mouse can burn down a home by chewing the insulation off of electrical wires is enough keep anyone awake at night even if the critters cannot be heard roaming around behind the walls.
Store-bought traps and poisons are usually insufficient at eliminating rodents from homes, and they also can cause harm if misused. Pest control professionals have knowledge and training as well as access to things homeowners do not. Professionals use proven methods that are safe to use around pets and children to rid a home of rodent infestations.
Rats are a particular problem to homeowners because of their size. Rat traps often are not at all as effective on rats as a mouse trap is on a mouse. Also, the amount of force required for an average rat trap to work is easily capable of breaking the fingers of the person setting the trap. Instructions for bait poisons is to put them out of reach of children and pets. However, they are often carried away by rats possibly to a place where children or pets can have easy access to them. Professionals have tools and knowledge to prevent such risks.
For most homeowners, there is the nagging thought that remains which causes them to wonder if rodents are still present when they try to rid a home of them on their own. Considering the risks, it is always best to let a professional exterminator assess the home and rid the home of the pests using tools and methods proven to work.